An outdoor survival adventure, featuring practical challenges, limited resources and decisions under pressure.
150 - 240 minutes
10 - 300 participants
Outdoor
What is Survival?
Survival is an outdoor team-building activity that takes the team out of their usual environment and immerses them in an adventure inspired by survival skills.
Participants must organise themselves, divide up the roles and make clever use of the available resources in order to complete the practical field tests.
The activity combines physical activity, competition and experiential learning. Each challenge highlights the importance of communication, trust, leadership and decision-making when time, space or information put the team under pressure.
It is neither a sporting challenge nor a theoretical survival course, but a controlled environment in which team behaviour has immediate consequences.
Success depends on the way people work together, adapt and make the most of their different strengths.
How does it work?
Before the event, participants are provided with the necessary information regarding clothing, equipment and the specific details of the venue.
At the start of the activity, the facilitators outline the scenario, the rules, the objective of the mission and the safety guidelines.
The group is divided into teams, and each one establishes its identity through a name, symbol or ritual.
A short icebreaker helps participants to identify their strengths and decide how to divide up their roles before the route.
Next comes a series of survival-inspired challenges, which may include navigation, knot-tying, shelter-building, fire-making, safety in the wild or resource management.
Teams must combine information, skill, composure and quick decision-making, not just physical strength.
The session concludes with a demonstration of skills and a facilitated debrief. Participants analyse what worked, how leaders emerged, where information was lost, how resources were used, and what they can apply to their day-to-day collaboration.
Intended outcomes
When is Survival the right choice?
Survival is suitable for companies looking for an outdoor experience that combines adventure, hands-on learning and enough pressure to bring team dynamics to the fore.
It works particularly well when the aim is to take people out of their routine and place them in a situation where they have to rely on one another.
It is an excellent choice for teams working on change, leadership, trust or decision-making under pressure, and who need a shared experience they can draw on in their post-event discussions.
It blends in naturally with:
- outdoor team-building events with a main activity
- off-site events and retreats in the countryside
- leadership and trust activities
- days dedicated to mixed or cross-departmental teams
- outdoor corporate events that are followed by dinner, socialising or a celebration
- engagement activities designed to provide a practical and memorable experience
Why does it deliver results?
Survival works because it turns collaboration from talk into action. Teams must make quick decisions, share responsibility and use limited resources in a context where the consequences of their choices are immediately apparent.
Challenges foster interdependence without turning the experience into a test of strength. Orientation, organisation, observation, dexterity, composure and coordination each play a different role, enabling a wider range of participants to contribute.
A key advantage is the controlled pace of the format. Participants feel the pressure of time and the demands of the task, but within a safe and supportive environment, where mistakes become opportunities for learning, not for criticism.
That is why Survival is relevant to topics such as leadership, trust, adaptability and decision-making under pressure.
The debrief turns the moments experienced on the route into concrete insights into how the team communicates, how they fulfil their roles, and how they react when the plan needs to be adjusted.
Survival is one of the Universum team building experiences in the Dynamism & Energy category. It can run as a stand-alone activity or be built into a company day or employee event, and if you need a stage, sound or full production, our event solutions team handles the technical side.
Facts & Stats
Practical challenges
Participants learn and practise techniques such as navigation, knot-tying, shelter-building, fire-making and resource management.Team identity
A shared name, symbol and ritual foster a greater sense of belonging in the face of challenges.Interdependent roles
Success requires a variety of contributions, ranging from planning and observation to execution and coordination.Decisions on the field
Time, space and available resources mean that teams have to prioritise and adjust their plans.Controlled adventure
The format brings the energy of the great outdoors and a sense of team spirit, without turning into an extreme competition or a test of strength.Practical debrief
The conclusion draws lessons from the experiences along the way about leadership, trust and collaboration.
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